Superior 100 Final Notes

Sep 4, 2012 | Race Updates, Uncategorized

Superior 100 Mile Runners,

First of all, thank you all again for participating in this years Superior 100 Mile Trail Race, one of the original dozen or so 100 milers in the country, it is an honor and a pleasure to once again be hosting so many talented athletes from around the country – we have 137 runners registered from 28 states and Canada and about 125 volunteers to support you.To date, I hope that you all have been staying up to date with the race via our Facebook Page and the Website, especially the 100 Mile Info Page and our Blog.  I will not go into every detail you need to know here (within the body of this email) but instead will direct you to the information that is available via the website (which you should already be familiar with).

Below are a few significant things to note.

  • The mandatory pre-race meeting / packet-pickup is at a new location from last year, it will be held at the Two Harbors Community Center – 417 South Avenue, Two Harbors, MN  55616.  You will pick up your packet, number and timing chip at the pre-race meeting.  Be sure to have your drop bags prepared with the aid station name, your name and your race number – bib number assignments can be found HERE  https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com.com/2012-bib-s/ – be sure to prepare all of your drop bags in accordance to the drop bag requirements on the website – NOTE that we will not accept any drop bags on Friday / at the race start.
  • The race will start at 8:00 AM Sharp at Gooseberry Falls State Park, do not forget your chip and your number on race morning.  You can either get transported to the start via your crew / family or friends or take the bus from Caribou Highland / the race finish departing at 6:00 AM sharp – again all the info regarding race morning is on the website /  100 Mile Info Page
  • Crews – it is imperative that your crews park where and as noted on the directions found HERE – your crews need to be responsible for printing their own directions to aid stations etc. as we will not have this info available / printed for you.  Drive slowly when in proximity of the aid stations – do not park on roadways except where noted that you are permitted to do so and always park on one side of the road only in those areas. Make sure that your crews to not show up at the two aid stations noted at crew access – Split Rock and Sonju LK. Rd., this is grounds for runner disqualification.
  • Per the 100 Mile Info Page make sure you are familiar with the cutoffs and stay ahead of them.  Keep in mind that these are hard cutoffs.
  • IMPORTANT: If for some reason you need to drop out of the race you must turn your chip into a race official (either an aid station worker or a HAM Radio Operator) and communicate that you are dropping from the race – failure to do so will result in a lifetime ban from this race – this is a safety issue so we don’t send search and rescue teams looking for you just to find out you are sitting in your hotel room – it has happened before and causes a lot of concern and diverts critical safety resources from those that may need it, not only at the race but within the surrounding communities.
  • In the past we have had between a 50% and 60% finishers rate – if you are one of the lucky ones who finishes you will receive your buckle and a finishers token as you cross the finishers line, you will also pick up your finishers sweatshirt, a name-patch to be sewn onto it and a star for the finish, plus for those who are multiple finishers, stars for each previous finish that you have achieved – more info HERE
We are looking forward to seeing you all and another great race at the Superior 100.  As always we hope to put on a world-class event while maintaining the down-to-earth, low-key, old-school vibe the race has always had – please help us to keep it this way but being extra courteous to our volunteers and reaching out by meeting new people and most importantly enjoying yourself.  As always please let me know if you have any questions or feel free to ask questions of your peers via our Facebook Page. See you in a few days.

Sincerely,

John and Cheri Storkamp and the Entire Superior 100 Mile Team
Race Director
Superior Trail Races

Superior Fall Trail Race
100MI, 50MI, 26.2MI Trail Race(s)
Lutsen, Minnesota
(approx 4hrs North of Minneapolis, MN)
September 11 & 12, 2020
• 100MI Friday 8:00AM
• 50MI Saturday 5:15AM
• 26.2MI Saturday 8:00AM

Registration / Lottery:
Registration via 15 day lottery registration period.
Opens Wednesday January 1st, 2020 – 12:01AM CST
Closes Wednesday January 15th, 2020 – 11:59PM CST
Complete Lottery / Registration Details HERE

Directions:
100MI Start: Gooseberry Falls State Park, MN HERE
50MI Start: Finland Rec Center – Finland, MN HERE
26.2MI Start: Cramer Road – Schroder, MN HERE
Races Finish: Carbibou Highlands – Lutsen, MN HERE

Terrain:
The Superior Fall Trail Races 100MI, 50MI & 26.2MI are run on rugged, rooty, rocky, 95% single-track trail with near constant climbs and descents.  The race is held on the Superior Hiking Trail in the Sawtooth Mountains paralleling Lake Superior in Northern Minnesota / not far from the Canadian border.  The race located approximately 4 hours North of Minneapolis, Minnesota.   The Superior Fall Trail Races are very difficult / challenging races and are probably not a good choice for your first trail or ultra race (see Registration Info for qualifying requirements).

100 Mile:
Point to Point 103.3 Miles
Elevation Gain 21,000 FT
Elevation Loss 21,000 FT
NET Elevation Change 42,000 FT
13 Aid Stations
38 hour time limit
Complete 100MI Info HERE

50 Mile:
Point to Point 52.1 Miles
Elevation Gain 12,500 FT
Elevation Loss 12,500 FT
NET Elevation Change 25,000 FT
7 Aid Stations
16.75 hour time limit
Complete 50MI Info HERE

26.2 Mile:
Point to point 26.2 Miles
Elevation Gain 5,500 FT
Elevation Loss 5,500 FT
NET Elevation Change 11,000 FT
3 Aid Stations
14 hour cutoff
Complete 26.2MI Info HERE

More About the Race:
The Superior Trail 100 was founded in 1991 when there was no more than a dozen or so 100 mile trail races in the USA, back then if you wanted to run a 100, you had choices like Western States, Hardrock, Leadville, Wasatch, Cascade Crest, Umstead, Massanutten and Superior . Superior quickly earned it’s reputation of its namesake today – Rugged, Relentless and Remote and is known as one of the tougher 100 mile trail races.  Superior lives on now as one of the “legacy 100 milers” and is considered by many to be one of the most challenging, prestigious and beautiful 100 mile trail races in the country. Shortly after the inception of the 100, the Superior 50 was started and in the early 2000’s the Moose Mountain Marathon was added. None of the history or tradition of this race has been lost and is a great event for those looking for a world-class event with a low-key, old-school 100 miler feel.  The Superior Trail Race is put on by ultrarunners for ultrarunners.

More About the Area:
The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota at the Southwestern end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the North to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the east. The shore is characterized by alternating rocky cliffs and cobblestone beaches, with rolling hills and ridges covered in boreal forest inland from the lake, through which scenic rivers and waterfalls descend as they flow to Lake Superior. The shoreline between the city of Duluth to the international border at Grand Portage as the North Shore.  Lake Superior is considered the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. It is the world’s third-largest freshwater lake by volume and the largest by volume in North America.  The Superior Hiking Trail, also known as the SHT, is a 310-mile long distance hiking single-track hiking trail in Northeastern Minnesota that follows the ridgeline overlooking Lake Superior for most of its length. The trail travels through forests of birch, aspen, pine, fir, and cedar. Hikers and runners enjoy views of boreal forests, the Sawtooth Mountains, babbling brooks, rushing waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. The lowest point on the trail is 602 feet above sea level and the highest point is 1,829 feet above sea level.